


Part Of Your World

by Fijou



Category: A.C.E (Beat Interactive Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, ariel!donghun, but without mermaids, dont be like junhee drink safely and learn how to swim, eric!junhee, modern little mermaid au?, other members are mentioned
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-18
Updated: 2018-08-18
Packaged: 2019-06-29 05:25:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15722877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fijou/pseuds/Fijou
Summary: The drunk pretty boy Donghun saved that night had probably seen one too many Disney movies in his life.





	Part Of Your World

**Author's Note:**

> ok so i'm not 100% happy with how this turned out but we just really can't leave Take Me Higher era without a fic inspired by The Little Mermaid!! we all need this so i took one for the team and started writing it  
> everyone say thank you to a.c.e's stylists for making junhee look like an actual disney prince this comeback!

Donghun hated this.  
He hated the way sweaty and intoxicated bodies moved too close in the summer-heat.  
He hated the constant edm remix of 90's power ballads that was blasting through the speakers.  
He hated how the impromptu plastic roofing blocked out the night-sky and the air around him got stuffier with every passing second.  
Donghun hated this party.

At first, he had agreed to accompany his friends Byeongkwan and Sehyoon who praised their past experiences at this annual beach party as the best nights of their lives. Donghun had just moved into town a few months ago so how could he have denied his new friends when they asked him to join them for this year's event.  
However, it didn't take him long to regret that decision. Sehyoon and Byeongkwan had spent roughly 20 minutes by Donghun's side before they disappeared together. Almost two hours had passed since then and Donghun tried not to imagine what they were up to after the amount of alcohol they gulped down the second they arrived.  
He'd also long given up to wait for them to return. And with a girl who couldn't take no for an answer trailing behind him the whole time there was nothing he'd rather do than escape this party.

And so he did, after enduring long enough to be able to tell himself that he at least tried to enjoy it, he left the sticky atmosphere and bad music behind to flee to the beach close to the party location.  
There was a small group of people, who had taken their beer with them, lingering on the path down to the beach but Donghun paid them no mind and didn't stop walking until the sea appeared in his line of sight.  
Only when he could hear the waves and feel the way his sneakers sunk into the sand he could finally breathe freely again.  
The stars shined brightly above his head and he took a moment to just look at them, relishing the moment of having the beach, the water, the horizon and the whole universe all to himself.

That was until he suddenly heard a loud giggle to his left and whipped his head around just in time to see a man run into the sea, water splashing around him as he did one, two, three silly turns.  
He didn't stop until the water almost reached his shoulders and it was nearly impossible for Donghun to make out his figure in the darkness. His laugh still a faint sound above the noise of the waves and leaves of trees rustling in the distance.  
Donghun looked around nervously. The man was obviously drunk, probably a party-goer who got lost on his way to the toilets, but it seemed like he had come down there alone.  
Another look around the area and Donghun was sure: there was no one else but him and that drunk guy on the beach.

“Hey!”, Donghun shouted and took a few tentative steps towards the shore, “get out of there!”

He waited for some kind of response but when there was none Donghun quickly took off his shoes, shrugged off his light jacket and stepped into the water, his black jeans soaking with saltwater and clinging uncomfortably to his legs.

“Where are you?”, Donghun shouted again, louder this time. The light breeze carried the sound of that now familiar giggle to him and he finally spotted the other man when he followed the direction it came from.

“Just come back here! You're gonna do something stupid with how drunk you are!”, Donghun tried to reason one more time. 

After a few more seconds passed Donghun finally got the reply he had been waiting for but it didn't exactly make him feel any better about the whole situation.

“I can't!”

“What? Why?!”, Donghun sounded even more anxious now than he had before.

“Can't...”, the stranger began but it sounded unsteady and strained, “can't swim!”

And Donghun only blinked once but when his eyes opened again the man was gone. 

Within a split second he dived into the water, the rising panic in his chest making it hard to breathe.  
He searched around in the darkness for an agonizingly long second before his hands finally connected with some kind of cloth and he yanked the man up with all his strength.

“Hey”, Donghun said loudly but softer this time, holding him close to his chest and terrified of letting him go accidentally, “can you hear me?”

With trembling hands Donghun tried to brush wet strands of black hair away from the others face to see if he was unconscious.  
But instead of closed eyes and slow breathing he was met with a wide grin and a muttered: “Thanks.”

Donghun sighed, not sure if it was out of relief or frustration, and just focused all of his attention on bringing the both of them to safety.  
The other man was still clinging onto him when Donghun reached the beach and his legs gave out under him, the two tumbling to the ground in a mess of limbs and wet clothes.  
Trying to check up on the guy one more time Donghun freed himself out of his grasp and shook his shoulder lightly.

“Oh”, the boy, who seemed to be around Donghun's age, breathed out more than he said it, “you're pretty.”

Immediately Donghun drew back a bit more and shot him an incredulous look. Apparently almost drowning didn't make the guy any more sober.

“You”, Donghun started and shook his head in disbelief, “you fucking idiot.”

The lips of the stranger formed a small pout at that and Donghun quickly looked back out at the sea.

“That's not a very nice thing to say.”

“Why would you go into the water if you can't swim?”, Donghun replied with a question.

But it didn't look like the other boy was going to give him an answer to that, too focused on trying to move closer to him. Confused, Donghun let him reach out and comb his fingers through the short red hair that was still wet with saltwater.  
Until – a laugh escaped the man's lips.

“What?”, Donghun asked, not knowing if he should feel offended or concerned, and swatted the stranger's hand away, “what's with my hair?”

“No, it's just”, the boy brought out before another laugh bubbled up his throat, “you're Ariel!”

“I'm what?!”

“You're Ariel”, repeated the man next to him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, “and I am -”

“Don't say it”, Donghun threatened him.

“Prince Eric!”

“Oh my god, why did I even get you out of the water”, the red haired boy declared exasperatedly and put his head in his hands.

He only looked up again when he could feel a weight on his leg, the other boy's head lying on his lap. For a short moment he allowed himself to look over his face.  
With his small cute nose, high cheekbones and black hair hanging onto his forehead Donghun had to admit the Prince Eric comparison actually didn't seem all that absurd.  
When his gaze traveled to the other's pretty eyes they were already looking back into his.  
Before Donghun could even avert his gaze the black haired boy closed his eyes as a noticeable shiver ran through his body. Donghun could feel the trembling from where their bodies touched as if they were one.  
Either caused by the shock or the way the boy's white shirt was clinging onto his wet body he seemed to be freezing. Donghun tried not to think too much about that second option, tearing his eyes away from the outline of abs that was visible through the soaked fabric.  
He reached to his left and barely managed to grab his jacket and shoes without shaking the other man off. 

“Here”, Donghun said as he handed the jeans jacket to the boy who tried to sit up straight again, “put this on and let's just get you back to your friends.”

“Okay”, he murmured, shrugged and took off his shirt in one swift motion that seemed way too fast considering how wasted the guy was.

“Woah what”, Donghun spluttered while turning away impulsively, “uh that's not what I meant.”

When he peeked over his shoulder he could see that the other boy had cocked his head slightly, a look of pure confusion on his pretty features. It looked so adorable Donghun thought it was almost ridiculous. Someone that well-built shouldn't be able to look this cute at the same time.

“The shirt felt sticky”, he explained himself in a tone that resembled that of a child more than anything.

“Okay yeah whatever”, Donghun replied and urged him to finally take the dry piece of clothing he still held out towards him, “just put the jacket on already so we can go.”

Donghun liked that jacket. He used to think it looked quite good on himself but now that he saw the other man in it he realized it looked so so much better on him.  
He was slightly shorter than Donghun so the sleeves came down all the way to his hands. Only the small tips of his fingers were peeking out under the hem and for a brief second Donghun imagined what it would feel like to reach out and hold them.  
Vigorously shaking his head once he looked away from the tanned torso that was in full view with every little movement and focused on the other man's face instead. He was surprised to spot a slight frown on it.  
Before Donghun could ask what bothered him the man spoke up in a determined voice: “It looked better on you.”

“But”, now it was Donghun's turn to be confused, “you didn't even see me wearing it.”

“I did”, he replied, his voice sounding even more resolute than before, “at the party.”

Donghun felt weirdly lightheaded when he realized that the man had noticed him earlier that night. Maybe he had drunk more alcohol than he remembered. That must have been the reason why he had trouble gathering his thoughts for a second.

''You could have talked to me”, he suggested and hoped he looked more confident than he felt in that moment.

“Oh no, no no I'm shy”, the other said and got interrupted by his own small laugh, “and I'm suuuuper bad at flirting anyway.”

Donghun wasn't sure whether it was the alcohol slurring his speech or if it was just a very bad attempt at acting cute.  
Moreover, he pointedly chose to ignore the way his heart leaped at the mention of flirting.

Subtly trying to cover how flustered he was Donghun simply kept quiet and quickly put on his shoes.  
He took a deep breath, straightened up again, let out a short “Come on, let's go” and started making his way back to the path that lead to the party location.  
However, a moment later he almost tumbled to the ground for the second time that night.  
The black haired boy had run up to him and was now clinging to his back like some overly affectionate koala.

“Can't walk..”, came the muffled voice from behind Donghun and he jumped slightly when he felt the man nuzzling his head in the crook of his neck, “too tired.”

Donghun stayed like that for one, two, three, twenty-five heartbeats, frozen. At this point he was more than just a bit overwhelmed by the situation.  
This definitely was not the way he had imagined this night to go.  
He was always happy to help anyone but taking care of drunk strangers wasn't exactly top of his list as a pastime.  
But when the boy behind Donghun sneaked his arms around his waist and hugged him tighter he really couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed.

“Okay”, Donghun gave in and let out a resigned sigh, “come on, get up. I'll carry you or we'll never make it back to your friends.”

“You're my friend!”, the other laughed happily and tried his best to climb onto Donghun's back.  
He was clumsy, almost hit Donghun in the face, but with the clear adorable laughter ringing all around them Donghun thought it might be worth it.

The way back to the location of the party seemed a hundred times longer than when Donghun had made his way down to the beach a while ago. Perhaps the weight of the grown man he was carrying on his back while walking had something to do with that.  
However, it wasn't nearly as tiring and uncomfortable as Donghun had thought it would be.  
It should have been awkward how the stranger's bare chest was pressed against his back, their legs still stuck in their wet jeans, but Donghun realized he didn't mind it much.

The boy on his back hadn't spoken in a while and Donghun suspected he might have fallen asleep to the rhythm of his footsteps and the faint noise from the party.  
After a few more steps however, he broke the silence.

“Can you sing for me?”, he asked in a quiet voice, propped his chin up on Donghun's shoulder and started playing with the short strands of red hair.

“What? Why?”

“You're Ariel”, he continued to explain in a matter-of-fact tone, “Ariel has the most beautiful singing voice.”

When he didn't get a reply immediately he reached around Donghun's head to cup his cheek.  
Donghun was sure he must have felt the heat of his blushing.

“Pleeaase”, he cooed in the softest voice his drunk self allowed him to muster.

Donghun didn't know what it was but there was something about this boy that just made it impossible to resist.  
So he began to sing, tentatively at first but when he could feel the body of the other relax around him he slowly grew more confident. His voice was still soft and not the slightest bit louder, but filled with so much more emotion.  
Only the two of them could hear his singing.  
It felt like it was only meant for them.

“I was right”, they were so close Donghun could feel the way the lips on his neck moved with every soft-spoken word, “you do have the most beautiful singing voice.”

Donghun couldn't tell exactly at which point the boy fell asleep but when they reached the party and he laid him down at the first-aid station his breathing was slow and steady, a small smile on his calm face.

By the time he woke up Donghun would long be gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...i hope you enjoyed reading this? a little bit at least.  
>  kudos and comments are of course very much appreciated!  
> I have another chapter for this planned and there's two more dongjun fics in my drafts so if anyone could motivate me to actually write all that i'd appreciate it  
> have a nice day/night ♡
> 
> (oh and english isn't my first language so i apologize for any mistakes or awkward wording)


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